Alumni Association events and other events involving UGA

Founding SPIA dean receives President’s Medal

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This story was written by Sara Freeland and was originally posted to UGA Today on January 13, 2020. 

The University of Georgia will bestow one of its highest honors to Thomas P. Lauth, the founding dean of the School of Public and International Affairs, during Founders Day activities on Jan. 15.

The President’s Medal recognizes extraordinary contributions of individuals who are not current employees of UGA and who have supported students and academic programs, advanced research and inspired community leaders to enhance the quality of life of citizens in Georgia.

“Dr. Lauth provided wise counsel to me and to many others at the institutional level and helped build the reputation of the School of Public and International Affairs at UGA. He guided a new school exceptionally well and provided many years of outstanding service as a dean and faculty member,” said President Jere W. Morehead. “I look forward to honoring him for his service to UGA, the Athens community and our state and nation.”

A professor emeritus of public administration and policy, Lauth retired from UGA in 2013. He was a faculty member at UGA from 1981 to 2013, serving as head of the department of political science from 1988 to 2001 before becoming dean.

Under Lauth’s leadership, SPIA quickly gained a reputation for excellence with world-renowned faculty, two research centers, multiple study abroad programs and highly successful students and alumni. Its public affairs graduate program was ranked third in the nation and first among public universities.

An outstanding scholar and educator, Lauth taught courses, delivered lectures and presented papers in China, Korea, Taiwan and Ukraine. He is the author or co-author of more than 50 peer reviewed journal articles and invited book chapters. During his years as an active faculty member, he directed 30 Ph.D. dissertations. In 2010, he delivered the 100th Anniversary Graduate Commencement Address at UGA.

Lauth is an elected fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration and the recipient of a lifetime scholarly achievement award from the Association for Budgeting and Financial Management. He was elected president of the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration and was appointed to the U.S. Comptroller General’s Educators’ Advisory Panel, advising the Comptroller General on the top fiscal challenges facing the nation.

Since his retirement, Lauth has continued to contribute to the academic culture of UGA as an Emeriti Scholar. He also served as president of the UGA Retirees Association and as UGA’s representative to the University System of Georgia Retiree Council.

Among his contributions to the local community, Lauth represented District 7 on the Athens-Clarke County Citizens Advisory Committee that reviewed all Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) 2020 projects.

He earned his bachelor’s degree in government from the University of Notre Dame and his doctorate in political science from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University.

Founders Week

The President’s Medal ceremony is part of Founders Week, when UGA observes its anniversary as the birthplace of public higher education in America.

The Founders Day Lecture will be held Jan. 15 at 1:30 p.m. in the Chapel and is open to the public. William Eiland, director of the Georgia Museum of Art, will speak on “Colonization and Its Discontents.”

The Founders Day Lecture is traditionally held on or near the date the university was established: Jan. 27. On this day in 1785, the Georgia General Assembly adopted a charter establishing the University of Georgia as the first institution of public higher education in America.

The lecture is sponsored by the Office of the President, the Alumni Association and the Emeriti Scholars, a group of retired faculty members known for their teaching abilities who continue to enhance the university’s academic endeavors through part-time teaching, research and service assignments.

Heading to ‘The Big Easy’ for the game? Check out these Bulldog recommendations!

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Our New Orleans Alumni Chapter leaders recommended a few things to do while you’re in the Big Easy for the Sugar Bowl. See below for their suggestions!
 

RESTAURANTS

MODERN

  • Coquette – 2018 James Beard “Best Chef-South” nominee, Mike Stolzfus, and Kristen Essig
  • Compere Lapin — 2018 James Beard “Best Chef-South” winner, Nina Compton
  • Saba – 2015 James Beard “Best Chef-South” winner, Alon Shaya
  • Willa Jean
  • La Petite Grocery

OLD SCHOOL

PO-BOYS

SEAFOOD

 

ACTIVITIES

MUSEUMS, TOURS, PARKS

SHOPPING, WATERING HOLES, MUSIC

 

BREWERIES

 

NIGHTLIFE

 

TRAVEL PACKAGE

Have tickets to the Sugar Bowl and need help with travel? Consider purchasing a Georgia Bulldogs Sports Travel package.

Whether you’re traveling to New Orleans to catch the Allstate Sugar Bowl in person or are planning to attend a game-watching party in your hometown, peek at our comprehensive list of events to help you cheer on the Dawgs from wherever you are on January 1.

What do you really know about bats?

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Duh nuh nuh nuh nuh nuh nuh BAT … WEEK! Not what you were expecting? Neither was I until the Odum School of Ecology launched their Bulldogs for Bats campaign. Since then, I’ve learned a lot about bats that has completely reshaped my opinion. Much like the beloved DC Comics superhero who saves Gotham, bats are saving local ecosystems in the night and are often misunderstood. From Australia to right here in Athens, Georgia, bats serve as natural pest control and are essential pollinators of many plants.

So what’s Bat Week, you ask? It’s an international, annual celebration designed to raise awareness about the need for bat conservation. And it starts today! Did you know bats face risk of disease, habitat loss, pesticide use and wind energy, just to name a few? Diminishing numbers of bats pose a threat not only to the functioning of healthy ecosystems, but also to human well-being. Insect-eating bats, including the 16 species found in Georgia, save the U.S. agricultural industry at least $3 billion a year in pest control costs and crop damage. Bats also help control mosquito populations and may reduce the risk of emerging diseases, such as West Nile Virus, in the Southeast. This week, we’re spreading awareness about the vital role bats play, and how you can help save them.

Bulldogs for Bats is a campaign that’s been running the entire month of October to raise support for bat conservation efforts. All funds donated will provide local bats with a safe, sustainable environment while enhancing student learning and research opportunities. While many of our graduate students have conducted fieldwork research abroad, building bat houses in the community will provide students more chances for experiential learning and hands-on research right in our backyard.

  • Sánchez releases a flying fox in Australia during her fieldwork.

  • Sánchez studied many similar bat colonies in Queensland, Australia.

  • Bats roosting in a tree in Australia.

  • Kristin Lear, a PHD student in forestry & natural resources, and Sánchez have hosted educational workshops about bats on campus.

  • Sánchez showcases the size of a flying fox bat in Australia.

  • A grey-headed flying fox from Sánchez’s research in Australia.

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So when you see some of these so-called “spooky” creatures on Halloween, think of the difference they’re making in our environment. And please consider saving the bats—what better time than during Bat Week?

Save The Bats

2019 Welcome to the City: A Recap

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This summer, UGA Alumni Chapters across the country hosted Welcome to the City events. During these annual gatherings, Bulldogs come together to welcome new alumni to their area. The Bulldog family is always growing, and our chapters did a great job of making sure Bulldogs Never Bark Alone, wherever they go.

“What was memorable about this year’s event was the number of new faces. Some Bulldogs have been in the city for a couple years, but had no clue there was an active chapter. Others were as new as three days in Chicago,” says Michael Lyons, Chicago Chapter president.

There are more than 80 alumni chapters worldwide, so there’s almost always an opportunity to connect with fellow alumni through them. Stephen Scates, Charleston Chapter president, says, “There is a huge Dawg presence here in the low country, and we are blessed to never have to bark alone while so far away from Athens.”

Check out our photo gallery of this year’s Welcome to the City events:

  • Emerald Coast Chapter

  • Southwest Florida Chapter

  • Little Rock Chapter

  • St. Louis Area Chapter

  • Boston Chapter

  • Charleston Chapter

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Interested in connecting with Bulldogs in your area? Find your local UGA Alumni Chapter today!

Interested in helping out UGA students, on your schedule? Sign up for the UGA Mentor Program.

#AlwaysADawg

2019 UGA Football Schedule

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It’s time, once again, to tee it up Between The Hedges! Kirby Smart (BBA ’98) is ready to lead the Dawgs into his fourth year as head coach, and all signs point to a banner year. Jake Fromm, D’Andre Swift, JR Reed, and Andrew Thomas—all among the nation’s best at their positions—are just a few of the starters returning this year, and a bevy of highly-touted talents round out the rest of this star-studded roster.

This year’s schedule is full of intrigue, with several preseason top-10 match-ups on the books—most notably the Dawgs’ return trip in its home-and-home series with college football blueblood Notre Dame. Here’s the full 2019 UGA football schedule:

 

August 31: @ Vanderbilt – Nashville, Tennessee

September 7: Murray State

September 14: Arkansas State

September 21: Notre Dame

September 28: Bye Week

October 5: @ Tennessee – Knoxville, Tennessee

October 12: South Carolina

October 19: Kentucky

October 26: Bye Week

November 2: @ Florida – Jacksonville, Florida

November 9: Missouri

November 16: @ Auburn – Auburn, Alabama

November 23: Texas A&M

November 30: @ Georgia Tech – Atlanta, Georgia

 

Can’t make it to a game in person? No worries–don your red and black and head to your local alumni chapter game-watching party. Because no Bulldog should ever bark alone!

Oh, and be sure to update your info to make sure you stay informed about all of the UGA happenings in your neck of the woods.

Other Football Season Events

Don’t miss Peabody’s ‘Stories of the Year’

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What are the Peabody Awards?

The Peabody Awards are a true gem in the University of Georgia’s crown. For those who don’t know what the Peabody Awards are, let me get you up to speed:

The National Association of Broadcasters formed a committee in the 1930s to establish a prestigious award similar to the Pulitzer Prize for excellence in broadcasting. Lambdin Kay, manager of WSB Radio in Atlanta, asked John Drewry, dean of the Grady School of Journalism, to sponsor the award, upon the recommendation of Lessie Smithgall, a graduate who worked at the station.

The committee named the award posthumously for George Foster Peabody, a Georgia native and successful investment banker whose philanthropic interests included the university. The first awards were issued in 1941. The Peabody Awards now include a wide range of broadcasting—from TV and blogs to cable to streaming network programs and websites. As the platforms for storytelling multiply, the Peabody Awards will continue to evolve, highlighting Stories That Matter across media.

So now you know and can share that with your friends and family when you’re enjoying programs like

Or when you’re adding any of Zach Armstrong’s watch list recommendations from this past May.

Peabody Awards App for iOS

The Peabody Awards App for iOS is available. It was developed in collaboration with the New Media Institute in UGA’s Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication. In addition to feature articles and videos from the Peabody Digital Network, users can explore recent winners and pick favorite programs to watch now or later.

Download the App

 

“Peabody Presents: Stories of the Year” on FX

If you weren’t able to attend the 78th Annual Peabody Awards Ceremony in New York City (don’t worry, I didn’t make the invite list, either), you can still get a closer look at recent winners and how they are address pressing social issues and share Stories That Matter.

That’s because Peabody and FX have partnered to create a documentary-style TV special, Peabody Presents: Stories of the Year, which will air at 10:30 p.m. on Sunday, July 7.

It will showcase award-winning programming that features diverse narratives tackling important issues. The program will intertwine conversations about race, the LGBTQ experience, the impact of the #MeToo movement and journalistic integrity with footage from this year’s awards ceremony that was held in May.

Hasan Minhaj, a two-time Peabody Award-winner, will moderate an intimate discussion among fellow storytellers representing programs released in 2018 to receive a Peabody Award:

  • Steven Canals, co-creator, executive producer and writer of the FX series Pose;
  • Paula Lavigne, ESPN investigative reporter for “Spartan Silence: Crisis at Michigan State”;
  • Terence Nance, filmmaker and creator of Random Acts of Flyness on HBO; and
  • Tracy Heather Strain, director/writer of the PBS/WNET documentary Lorraine Hansberry: Sighted Eyes/Feeling Heart.

We hope you’ll tune in and join us in celebrating UGA’s role in this important awards program.

UGA Young Alumni Night at SweetWater: A timeline

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There was excitement in the air. A sea of red and black. Loud voices Calling the Dawgs.

No, it wasn’t a fall Saturday in Athens. It was a hot summer evening in Atlanta. I was at my (ashamedly) very first UGA Young Alumni event. Three years post-graduation and I finally made it!

Here’s my night in review: 

5:05 p.m. Hit the road to Atlanta from Athens where I sing karaoke all the way down 316.

6:30 p.m. Take a power nap because I can’t hang like a college kid any more.

7:00 p.m. Put on my best red and black outfit.

7:30 p.m. Meet up with friends and fellow Dawgs — some of whom I hadn’t seen since English 1001.

8:30 p.m. Request my Uber to SweetWater.

8:31 p.m. Take an Uber selfie.

Uber Selfie
8:55 p.m. Arrive at SweetWater and stop by the registration table to check in. I pat myself on the back for registering early since tickets at the door were more expensive ;)

UGA Young Alumni Night at SweetWater

9:00 p.m. (okay, it was more like 8:56 p.m.) Grab my first beer. Cheers!

9:15 p.m. Catch up with a college friend who recently accepted a new job at Cox Enterprises.

9:30 p.m. Tour SweetWater’s newly renovated taproom and learn that there’s 24 (!) beers on tap. Time to try another!

9:45 p.m. The bartender pours my second local brew.

10:00 p.m. The band starts playing Backstreet Boys so I obviously hit the dance floor.

Atlanta Wedding Band

10:15 p.m. Indulge in some barbecue from SweetWater’s new in-house catering kitchen. It was delicious!

10:30 p.m. Lead a group in Calling the Dawgs! My bark still needs some work before football season begins.

10:45 p.m. Pose with friends and UGA props at the photobooth — no, I’m not sharing those photos.

11:00 p.m. I have another beer … or two.

12:00 p.m. Close down the joint and request another Uber because #responsible.

The Young Alumni Leadership Council meets regularly in Atlanta and hosts events and programs  like this throughout the year. Learn more about getting involved. 

And, be sure to mark your calendar for next year’s UGA Alumni Night at SweetWater. Not only is it an awesome night of reminiscing, drinks and dancing, but a portion of my ticket supported UGA scholarships so I also felt good about giving back to my favorite university.

View Photo Gallery

Congratulations, 2019 40 Under 40!

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40 Under 40 Logo

We’re proud to announce the 40 Under 40 Class of 2019 today! This program, in its ninth year, celebrates the achievements of successful UGA graduates under the age of 40–a set of alumni who are leading the pack in their industries and communities. These young leaders will be recognized during the ninth annual 40 Under 40 Awards Luncheon Sept. 13 in the Tate Student Center on campus. If you’re interested, please join us for this special event.

Each Honoree Stands Out

The 2019 class includes a few names you might recognize:

  • Allison R. Schmitt, a gold medal-winning Olympic swimmer
  • Malcolm Mitchell, Super Bowl champion and children’s author
  • Will Carr, a correspondent for ABC News on a national level

But even if you don’t know the names of everyone on the list, you’ll still be impressed at the caliber of these graduates working in everything from law and politics, to health care, nonprofit and food and beverage. For example, Tim Fleming is Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp’s chief of staff and Catherine Marti is a cardiologist at Piedmont Heart Institute focused on heart failure and transplant cardiology.

“We are excited to unveil this year’s class of 40 Under 40 and welcome them back home to Athens for the awards luncheon in September,” said Meredith Gurley Johnson, executive director of alumni relations. “I am always amazed by the excellence of our young alumni. These outstanding individuals exemplify leadership in their industries and communities.”

The Competition

Talk about a competitive selection process: nominations for 40 Under 40 were open from February to April, and more than 400 alumni were nominated for this year’s class. Honorees, of course, must have attended UGA and they have to uphold the Pillars of the Arch: wisdom, justice and moderation. Additional criteria are available on the 40 Under 40 webpage.

“The achievements of our nominated alumni each year make it hard to narrow down the list to just 40 honorees, and this year was no exception,” said Johnson. “We are proud of all of these outstanding young graduates. Their drive and focus inspires the UGA community.”

Ok, Ok, Show Me the List!

This year’s 40 Under 40 honorees, including their city, title and employer, are listed below in alphabetical order:

The Event

As we said earlier, if you’re interested in attending the 2019 40 Under 40 Awards Luncheon in Athens on Friday, September 13, please register today! *If you’re an honoree, please use the registration link provided to you by the Alumni Relations team.

UGA in Washington reception reunites alumni, friends

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UGA alumni at DC event

Hundreds of alumni were in attendance at the UGA in Washington reception on June 19.

The University of Georgia brought a little bit of Athens to D.C. during its annual UGA in Washington reception on June 19 at Union Station.

The event was an occasion for UGA alumni and friends in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area to connect with one another as well as with UGA President Jere W. Morehead, UGA Vice President for Government Relations Toby Carr, and special guest UGA head football coach Kirby Smart.

More than 140 UGA alumni work on Capitol Hill. Among those in attendance at the reception were Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue (DVM ’71) and Congressmen Buddy Carter (BSPH ’80), Rick Allen and Jody Hice.

In attendance at the UGA in Washington event were, from left, UGA Vice President for Government Relations Toby Carr, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue, U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter and UGA President Jere W. Morehead.

“UGA in Washington is always a wonderful opportunity to meet with our remarkable D.C. alumni,” said Meredith Gurley Johnson, executive director of alumni relations. “We are proud to have such a significant presence in the capital with over 5,000 alumni living in the area and our Washington Semester Program students living and learning in Delta Hall.”

Since Delta Hall’s opening in 2015, more than 250 UGA students have taken classes, participated in internships and immersed themselves in D.C.’s vibrant culture. More than 150 of those students have remained in the area after graduation and have stayed involved with the university through the D.C. Dawgs alumni chapter.

The D.C. alumni chapter is one of the most active in the country and hosts dozens of professional development and cultural events every year, in addition to game watching parties during football season. All UGA supporters are invited to participate in events and programs hosted by local alumni chapters.

Find Your Alumni Chapter

Five punny reasons you don’t want to miss UGA Young Alumni Night at SweetWater

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We know you don’t really need an excuse to go to SweetWater … it kind of sells itself. But indulge us anyway. Here are five reasons missing this annual event would be un-beer-able:    

  1. Don’t worry, beer hoppy. What better way to spend a summer Friday than surrounded by fellow Bulldogs? Reminisce about sunny afternoons on north campus, be grateful you’re not spending your evening cramming in the MLC and count down the days until football season returns ( … it’ll be 64 from Young Alumni Night).

    UGA Young Alumni Night at SweetWater
  2. New taproom? Ale yeah! Did you know that SweetWater recently renovated and reopened its much-anticipated taproom? The new space allows for 24 different beers to be available on tap. Yeah, you read that right. 
  3. Hip hops. A local Atlanta band will be performing some of your favorite songs all night long. Pretend you’re back in Athens at the 40 Watt, Georgia Theatre or Hendershots.

    UGA Young Alumni Night at SweetWater
  4. Pitcher perfect. Take a selfie, pose with friends and make the perfect boomerang glass clink. Your Instagram feed will thank you.

    UGA Young Alumni Night at SweetWater
  5. You’re supporting students – thank brew very much! A portion of your ticket price will help fund UGA student scholarships.  

Bonus reason: FOOD.  

Let’s be honest – you don’t have anything planned for next Friday anyway. Grab a friend (or five), request an Uber/Lyft/Bird/Lime and we’ll see you there. Cheers! 

 June 28
9 p.m. to midnight 

REGISTER NOW